Disclaimer: the same as chapter 1
Author's notes:
- In the movie "Kingdom of heaven", Saladin's sister is played by actress Giannina Facio, who happens to be Sir Ridley Scott's life partner.
- 'Melek' is the Arabic word for 'King'.
This chapter is dedicated to Sunniva, PadawanCassy and Smithy for their kind reviews. Thank you!
Chapter 12
(Princess Yasmina's POW)
It has been ten days now I have been attacked by Prince Arnat al-Kerak and his cohorts on my way back to Damascus from Cairo. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around what had happened and I suffer from nightmares almost every night since the slaughter. My brother, my family, even the humblest servant, all have been here to give me support and consolation through my ordeal but, even now, I cannot help but dreading another attack anytime.
We are riding back to Salah al-Dìn encampment after a short stay in Jerusalem. As soon as our presence has been known, Melek Baldwin IV opened wide the gates of his palace and granted us an audience. I must confess I had been intimidated at first by the crowd of court members gathered in the Great Hall: Raymond of Tripoli, Lord of Tiberias and governor of Jerusalem. Patriarch Heraclius and his clerks. Princess Sybilla and her dangerous husband, Guy de Lusignan. Barons and ladies, Templars, clerks, ladies-in-waiting, servants. And, above everyone else, seated on his throne under a dais, the King, Baldwin IV, regally clad in white robes and wearing a silver mask on his face.
The herald announced loud and clear: "Salah al-Din Ibn Ayyub, King of Syria and Egypt, and his sister, Her Highness Princess Yasmina!" and the Great Hall started buzzing like an overturned hive. I was dressed with black silken robes and veil, and wearing discreet but expensive jewelry, looking like a queen in mourning. It wasn't a show, though: my heart was still crying for our murdered people and it will take me time to overcome my grief. But I was resolute to confront my attackers and, above everything, to ask for justice.
My brother saluted Melek Baldwin IV with impressive dignity and politeness, and I could see the Christian king's eyes smiling beneath his mask. As wrenched as he is, Baldwin is a formidable enemy and Salah has always respected brave men. Then, my brother created quite a commotion when he asked the King for a private audience!
After a tempest of protestations, shocked questions, cries of challenges has erupted, the leper king raised a gloved hand to calm down the barons and told Lord Tiberias to clear the Great Hall, including his sister, his brother-in-law and Heraclius, patriarch of Jerusalem. The courtiers went away quietly but with murmured protests. Guy de Lusignan took Princess Sybilla by the arm and gave us such a loathed look I felt a shiver running down my spine: Guy de Lusignan is hand in glove with the Templars, long-time allies of Prince Arnat al-Kerak. He walked out of the Great Hall with such an outraged look on his face, as if he had been personally insulted by King Baldwin IV. Patriarch Heraclius had to be thrown out of the room by force, he protested loud and clear he would never betray his king's confidence. As money-hungry as he is known all over Syria, that was a laugh!
Finally, the Great Hall was cleared of everyone except Salah, Melek Baldwin, Lord Tiberias, and myself.
"This is as private as it can be," said King Baldwin IV coolly. "Now, Lord Salah al-Dìn, what would you want to say to me?"
Salah then told the king and Lord Tiberias about Prince Arnat al-Kerak latest evil deed: the attack on my caravan, the murder of our people, the mistreatments I have suffered at his hands.
Lord Tiberias was livid! He was gripping the hilt of his sword and his scarred eye was glittering with anger. He is an old soldier who had fought all his life in the Holy Land, defending the king and his family since he had reached knighthood, and with a reputation of integrity and honor that could bring thousands of lords to shame, a "Self-righteous pest" for his enemies. Salah referred him once as "The only able man who could rule the Holy Land after the passing of the king", even if he knows Lord Tiberias would never try to seize the throne and create a dynasty of his own.
After Salah has finished, Melek Baldwin IV then asked: "How did Princess Yasmina escaped the clutches of Renaud de Châtillon and his minions?"
"My sister will answer your question, my lord" answered Salah. Melek Baldwin then turned his attention to me and I tried very hard to not imagine the state of his hidden face. Instead, I gathered all my courage to overcome my shyness and told, in clear and truthful terms, about the apparition of my miraculous champion, the young Christian knight. How he has slain my tormentors, injured Prince Arnat al-Kerak and got wounded in the process, and our flight in the desert until we reached safety at my brother's encampment.
A long silence followed my testimony; the leper king and Lord Tiberias exchanged an incredulous look, like they quite couldn't believe my words. My story sounded too fantastic to be believed, so I quickly added: "I swear on my faith to Allah the Merciful that I tell the truth!"
Then Melek Baldwin asked with a very soft voice: "My lady… Do you happen to know the name of this Christian knight?"
I almost answered "Mika'il", so I quickly changed to say: "Balian, baron of Ibelin". But in my heart he is still my beautiful angel, one of God's messengers.
"Balian!" exclaimed Lord Tiberias in astonishment while Baldwin IV looked up, startled by my declaration. "But how is it possible? What happened?"
Then Salah smiled at the expression of amazement on the governor's face: "I do not know yet how this young man's path crossed with my sister's, but there are no doubts in my mind it was an act of God. Young Ibelin saved my sister from torture and defilement at Prince Arnat al-Kerak's hands at the cost of his own safety, and he will know the depths of my gratitude as soon as he will recover from his wounds."
"Is he gravely wounded, my lord?" asked King Baldwin IV with much concern in his voice, muffled by the silver mask. I could also see the anguish in Lord Tiberias' eyes. Later, I have learned Lord Tiberias was a close friend of Mika'il's father and the governor of Jerusalem considered the young man as his protégé, almost like a son.
"He was stabbed in the side by that snake al-Kerak, but my physicians have managed to save his life. He is now resting at my encampment under the protection of Imad, my personal secretary, and twenty of my most trusted knights."
Then, my brother's voice turned into steel, and asked for Prince Arnat al-Kerak's head!
I was most surprised when it was granted, at once.
Salah has expected Melek Badwin would refuse, or stall, or plead for the Prince's life in order to prevent a rebellion among his vassals, led by De Lusignan. After the battle of Kerak has happened, Prince Arnat was thrown in jail by direct order of the leper king. But he escaped the dungeons with the help of accomplices, and tried to return to his Kerak fortress before fleeing back to Europe. On his way back to his lands, he decided he needed travelling money so he attacked a small caravan: what's bred in the bone will come out in the flesh! Unfortunately for him, this time the caravan was guarded by some of Lord Tiberias' men, who killed Prince Arnat's men on the spot and brought him back to Jerusalem, in chains.
Melek Baldwin was outraged Prince Arnat al-Kerak made a mockery of his authority, and he had already decided this disloyal, hateful, troublemaker lord would pay for his crimes. My testimony will write the final chapter on his death sentence. The leper king's sentence was without appeal, to be applied for the next day.
We stayed at Melek Baldwin's palace during the night as guests of honor. I stayed in Princess Sybilla's apartments and she asked me thousands of questions about Mika'il, his intervention, his wounds, his stay at Salah's camp. At first I was a bit appealed by her concern over a knight, but her eyes and body language betrayed her: Princess Sybilla is in love with Mika'il. She told me the young baron has won the respect of her brother and Lord Tiberias with his honesty and courage, both qualities greatly appreciated in his father, the late Godfrey of Ibelin. Herself had sought refuge in the fortress of Kerak shortly before the battle and she witnessed the whole fight. She told me about my champion's stand against my brother's troops with only a handful of his men to protect unarmed villagers.
I wasn't surprised at all when Princess Sybilla gave me the account of Mika'il's heroic deeds. The young man is an angel to my eyes, an envoy from God, that's no wonder he should fight to protect the helpless and innocent. When I retired for the night, I prayed Allah to grant Mika'il a complete recovery and a long life filled with happiness, a loving wife and healthy children.
Now we are heading back to Salah's encampment, but this time we have two other guests riding with us: Lord Tiberias and a Hospitaler monk.
After the execution, my brother made clear he couldn't stay in Jerusalem for long and Melek Baldwin granted us a fully armed escort under the direct command of Lord Tiberias. The governor seems very eager to bring the baron of Ibelin back to Jerusalem with him. The leper king himself was impatient to see the young man, too, and Salah graciously accepted Lord Tiberias to come with us.
My brother was more surprised when Lord Tiberias asked if a Hospitaler monk could come with us! Salah doesn't appreciate much those monk-soldiers, skilled in both the arts of healing and warring: they remind him too much of the Templars, the allies of Guy de Lusignan! Lord Tiberias explained this Hospitaler used to be Godfrey of Ibelin's personal confessor and spiritual mentor. He was like "a friend of the family" so Salah finally relented. I thought this monk was the strangest Christian I've ever met: short straw-colored hair and beard, laughing eyes, enigmatic smile, quiet manners, clad in a dark robe with a white cross painted on his chest. In fact, he gave me the impression he already knew the future of the Holy Land!
I didn't get his name and somehow, I even doubt he has one.